After many years of my teaching, lecturing, working, and playing with me, my students began to collect the sayings I would make in my lectures and at the table. They began asking me to repeat myself (so they could write them down) and started reading over and reviewing the advice before we would play. So I thought it was a good idea to collect these bits of bridge wisdom (when I said them and from their lists, as well as from some bridge greats) and put them together for many people to make use of. I hope you find them educational, funny, and/or helpful!

If you focus on playing good bridge then good results will come. If you focus on trying to get good results then you won’t play good bridge.

— Robert S. Todd

It’s not usually the first mistake that gives you a bad board, it’s the second one. You often make the second mistake because you are still focusing on the first one. Don’t let one mistake cause another!

— Robert S. Todd

Rules are there for a reason. Don’t mastermind or attempt to place the contract early in the auction. Start by trying to follow the rules and describe your hand. 

— Robert S. Todd

Get out of your hand - focus your thoughts out onto the table!

— Robert S. Todd

One of the most frustrating ways to be a bad partner is to let one zero give you another zero.

— Robert S. Todd

2NT is a convention, not a contract!

— Robert S. Todd

When you are in bad contract, be an optimist. When you are in a good contract, be a pessimist. 

One of the keys to being a good defender (bridge player) is to think about the right thing at the right time.

— Robert S. Todd

It is important to understand why we learn conventions. They are tools to help us better communicate with partner. But we must become a craftsman and learn to use our tools effectively. Until we do, we will not be able to get the most out of them. The process of learning to use a new convention can be a difficult one. We will often take one step back (make mistakes or have bidding mixups) in an effort to move forward. It is important for us to recognize this and realize that adopting a new convention and learning to use it effectively is a long term investment in improving our game.

— Robert S. Todd

Support with Support!

— All Bridge Partners

All jumps in competition are weak! (Except when they are known not to be.) 

— Robert S. Todd

The auction tells you what to lead, your hand has to persuade you otherwise.

— Benito Garozzo

When working hard and focusing on details it can be easy to miss the forest for the trees. Always try to keep one eye on the big picture.

— Robert S. Todd

The opening lead is our primary advantage as defenders, do not waste it!

— Robert S. Todd

Bridge is a game of skill, but also a game of psychology. Unfortunately, some players will try to get under your skin (especially in long tournament matches). Don’t let them do it! Come to the bridge table with thick skin and get them back by playing your best bridge - rise to the occasion, don’t sink to their level. 

— Robert S. Todd

When winning a trick, it is best to select your lead to the next trick before you play your winning card. At the very least select your lead to the next trick before turning over your card from the previous trick - leave it up on the table, this allows you to look back at everyone’s cards. 

— Robert S. Todd

The Law of Total Tricks is your friend. In competitive auctions it serves as your “fall guy” - if you follow it and you are wrong you can blame The Law. So vary from The Law sparingly - do so only when you feel strongly and otherwise let it guide you.

— Robert S. Todd

(Re: Late in the hand play) Keep trump if you’re setting up an outside suit, run trump if you have nothing left to set up!

— Robert S. Todd

Don’t get too fancy, just try to bid your longest suit...

— Robert S. Todd

If you get rattled at the bridge table, stop doing all the other things that you do when you are playing and just focus on bridge...

Rule 1 when discarding — Do No Harm! (Do not give up a trick trying to signal.)

— Robert S. Todd

Good partnerships should practice the Breakfast Review. Postmortem the hands (session) the next day when cooler and calmer heads are present. 

— Robert S. Todd

Lead trump against doubled part scores!

— Robert S. Todd

Keep in mind that a 2NT Rebid by Opener shows 18-19 points if responder could have as few as 6 points - even if it is not a jump! 

— Robert S. Todd

When on opening lead against 3NT ask yourself: What is Opener’s 4-card suit? (Every hand has at least one 4+ card suit.) 

— Robert S. Todd

It is almost always wrong to play in 5-minor; only in competition and when trying to get to 6-minor should we end up in 5-minor. 

— Robert S. Todd

On Defense sometimes you play Defense and sometimes you play Offense. Figuring this out on each hand is key to helping you keep the right cards.

— Robert S. Todd

Upgrade for length more aggressively opposite a notrump opener. 

— Robert S. Todd

Preempts should be offensively oriented hands. That means defense is actually a bad thing to have when you preempt.

— Robert S. Todd

Better to clear up your agreements with a question (discussion) than with a zero.

— Robert S. Todd

Any Defender can take tricks with an Ace or King, good Defenders find ways to take tricks with 10s, 9s, and even smaller cards. 

— Robert S. Todd

A knowledge of the mechanics will suffice to put a player in a commanding position in the post-mortem. To become a member of the upper crust calls for more, much more. Resilience, imagination, occasional flashes of inspiration, these are the hallmarks of quality. And this transcends the realm of science. 